[Suggestion] Alien Mustangs - Alienation

July 04, 2018

Since the first time I listened to Alien Mustangs, back in 2013, I was waiting for a debut LP. Since then, I've managed to catch the band live and that really made me even more eager for that debut... but the band had different plans :P

Despite the fact that the debut was delaying, Alien Mustangs gave us some EP and tape releases to keep us warm until 2018.

And now... BOOM! The full album is here!

"Alienation" is surely going to be among the releases of 2018 that occupied my playlist the most. Alien Mustangs really delivered a great album, with unique atmosphere, a fine mix of garage and psych rock with space attitude. It really feels that they are constantnly "braising" their psychedelia, slowly and with such patience until the final climax (e.g. Going Nowhere) that really blows my mind and that is one of their characteristicts as a band that got me addicted to their music.

One of Greece's best kept secrets, Alien Mustangs, unleashed their debut full length album on May 25th via Sound Effect Records. Hailing from Thessaloniki, Alien Mustangs develop their own brand of psych-rock. Through their powerful live shows and DIY releases, finally capturing its transcendental energy and rock 'n' roll playfulness on "Alienation"! The album is available in limited edition black and clear vinyl and digital download, available via all the known platforms.

Alien Mustangs is a group of musicians that follows its own path, regardless of the dominant trend or the usual social media glitch.

Based in Thessaloniki, Greece, the band has been steadily pushing new frontiers through a number of releases, combined with the total energy of their live performances. From the opening howl of the “Pause / Red Tambourine” 7 inch, released in March 2013, to the “River” 10 inch EP, out in May 2014, up to “The Tape Sessions” two-track, released exclusively on cassette in November 2015, their mutant psych / space hybrid is deeply rooted in sixties garage, whilst paying tribute to their influences, with Loop, Spacemen 3, The 13th Floor Elevators and The Stooges chiefly among them.

A long player was long overdue, and being an Alien Mustangs LP, it was determinately recorded, on 8 track tape recorder. As usual, the band entered the studio with no preconceptions or big ideas –just trying to remain focused on the music and let their sonic interactions in the rehearsal room lead them where they might. The resulting product is “Alienation”, a psychedelic punk showdown that could never have been mapped out, let alone calculated. From the archetypal riff-heavy space rock of “Holy Motors”, to the trippy psychedelia of “Going Nowhere”, to the four-on-the floor garage stomp of “LSD”, the hallucinogenic dreaminess of “Forest”, to the post- Summer of Love acid pop of “Sleep” up to the motoric psych-blues of “Follow Me”, this is the sonic manifestation of a band that captures in the studio its vision and energy with the same abandon as it does on the stage.

Drop it onto your turntable and listen to an ahead of the pack brand of rock’n’roll krautdelia like you’ll never hear again from this far-flung corner of the planet.